Blazing fast chip powers iPhone 5 and iPad 2

As if the current incarnations of the iPhone and the less than a year old iPad aren’t next generation enough, Apple recently announced that the next versions of these much sought after gizmos are going to be, yes, even better.

Both due for release in the first half of 2011, the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 will sport a new, dual core version of Apple’s custom A4 chip, allowing for faster graphics capable of supporting a Retina Display iPad and possibly 1080p HD support for iOS devices, including Apple TV, across the board.

As reported by AppleInsider, the A4 chip replacement is expected to have around twice the processing power at the same clock speed. Faster video processing also means that Apple can now upgrade the iPad and iPhone 4 from its present VGA-style component video output to the more modern HDMI supported by high-end smartphones, tablet devices and LCD TVs, including the iOS-based Apple TV.

There’s more. AppleInsider also reports that the company will not only be upgrading its video core, but also going to multiple cores, which graphics capabilities aside, will be used by Apple for general purpose processing. The next custom chip, known as the SGX543MP2, pairs two SGX543 cores that will work as one and offers around four times the capability of the previous A4 in graphics and video tasks.